Yet another archbishop can’t remember much

Do they also take a vow of forgetfulness? At MPR, Madeleine Baran writes, “St. Louis archbishop Robert Carlson — who served in the Twin Cities for 24 years — testified last month that he wasn’t sure whether he knew it was illegal for priests to have sex with children when he served as chancellor of the Twin Cities archdiocese in the 1980s, according to a transcript released Monday. The former chancellor also said he couldn’t recall reporting abuse to police while here from 1970 to 1994.”

At Current.org (no relation to the local music station) Debra Blum explains that public broadcasters have taken a hit from the Target data breach. “Many television and radio stations were caught in the Target mess — which exposed the credit-card and personal data of 40 million of the store’s customers — because of their growing reliance on the contributions of sustainers, donors who make monthly gifts drawn automatically from credit cards or bank accounts. With millions of credit cards canceled or changed, stations around the country together likely lost tens of thousands — if not hundreds of thousands — of dollars in the months following the breach … .”

A bit more on the (transgender) Minnesotan allegedly held in slave-like captivity for two years. Says Paul Walsh of the Strib, “A friend of a Twin Cities transgender woman said Monday she knew there was an “alternative relationship” going on with the former Minnesotan and a married couple in rural Louisiana but saw no hints that her friend was at risk of being caught up in a slave-like arrangement involving violence, captivity in a box and sex on demand.” They were, like, average folks next door.

It must have been quiet back then … Tim Krohn of the AP reports, “About 1,000 years ago, Woodland Period people made their home at a site along the Blue Earth River, south of Mankato. Now, thanks to a state grant, archaeologists from Minnesota State University hope to uncover more evidence from the site to see if it is worthy of possible inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.”

Obviously the locals are struggling with “start seeing trains.” Marino Eccher of the PiPress reports that … yet again, “A light-rail train making a test run on the Green Line in downtown Minneapolis struck a car Sunday night. … The collision was the fourth involving Green Line test trains, he said. The others took place in St. Paul.”

Stribber Janet Moore has more details on that 30-story condo tower planned for Marquette Ave. in downtown Minneapolis. “Called 4Marq, the tower will span 30 stories and feature 262 luxury units. It is expected to be completed by first quarter of 2016. The project’s address is 400 Marquette Av. S. The tower will include studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units, with on-site parking in an above-ground ramp. Amenities include pet-washing stations and dog run; a commercial-size laundry for larger units, as well as in-unit laundries; concierge, lounge space and commercial space; proximity to the Nicollet Avenue light-rail station; penthouse-level space with a party room, media room, yoga studio, business center, outdoor fireplace, gas grills, indoor and outdoor lounge areas.” I’m not an architecture critic, nor do I play one on TV, but that is a bland design.

It’s down to Duluth v. Provo. Says Pam Louwagie of the Strib, “Duluth is one step away from winning an online voting challenge for the best outdoorsy town in the country. The city emerged late Sunday as one of two finalists for the championship in Outside magazine’s best town contest. Now it is facing Provo, Utah for the crown. Duluth beat Asheville, NC with 68 percent of the vote in the final four round, which ended at 11 p.m. Sunday, getting 28,371 online votes compared to 13,391.” Vote early and vote often!

Prior to Target’s shareholders meeting in Texas, Chad Henage of the Motley Fool site lists four problems the company needs to address. Among them: “One of the key differentiating factors in Target’s past business model was that it didn’t want to be like Wal-Mart. It wanted to offer a better shopping environment with somewhat higher prices for a more upscale selection. While Target still offers a nice selection of clothing and housewares, this selection has been diluted by the expansion of the company’s grocery business. … In fact, at this point about 75% of Target’s stores offer either a full grocery experience or an expanded food assortment. This seems to be hurting the company’s image.”

Meanwhile, on the Seeking Alpha blog, Michael Thomas says, “A big headwind that Target will have to fight through is the fact that its primary sales growth driver is directly related to the negative effects of the data breach. It’s a lot more difficult promoting a REDcard to a consumer after you just had millions of credit card numbers stolen. Year over year total company sales on REDcard were up to 19.3% from 13.6%, highlighting the growth in sales. The company also states that a typical REDcard holder spends 50% more than before they held the card. This increases the importance of regaining customer confidence as quickly as possible.”